Standard costing and the relationship it may have with other Essay

Standard costing and the relationship it may have with other management accounting development - Essay Example Standard costs are pre-determined or forecast estimates of cost to manufacture a single unit, or a number of units of a product, during a specific immediate future period. They are usually the planned costs of the products under current and anticipated conditions, but sometimes they are the costs under normal or ideal conditions of efficiency, based on an assumed given output, and having regard to current conditions. They are revised to conform to super-normal or sub-normal conditions, but ore practically to allow for persisting alterations in the prices of material and labour. Therefore, a standard cost can be defined as â€Å"A pre-determined cost calculated with respect to a prescribed set of working conditions, correlating technical specifications and scientific measurements of materials and labour to the price and wage rates expected to apply during the period to which the standard cost is expected to relate, with an addition of an appropriate share of budgeted overhead. Its main objective is to provide bases of control through variance accounting for the valuation of stocks and work-in-progress and in exceptional cases for fixing selling prices.† The use of standards facilitates many business functions. Standards are very useful in the monitoring and controlling of business activities in general. The need for standard costs arises as a result of the benefits it provides for a business, such as Cost control does not merely refer to minimization of costs. Cost control means identifying costs with their benefits and ensuring that the costs are justified, given the benefits that are derived. Standard costs provide a very useful framework for cost control. The great value of standards in cost control is that they provide the ability to compare actual costs with desired costs on a timely basis. Timely reporting of difference i.e. monthly, weekly, daily or for each work shift etc, between actual and standard costs allows managers to take

Anita Desai Essay Example for Free

Anita Desai Essay The main characters who struck me the most are Uma and her brother Arun; to them are dedicated the two parts of the novel. Personally I think they have a lot of things in common and I’m not only considering the fact that they belong to the same close-knit family: they are somehow subjected to a reality from which they both want to escape. Uma is the plainest character of the novel, I think: she always obeys her parents and makes everything they want her to do. This is not completely a negative point but, reading the first pages of the book, I admit that I would like to react for her to the commandments of her MamaPapa, as they are often mentioned†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Go to the cook†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Prepare the packet for your brother†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Write a letter†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦but how can she manage to do all these things together?! In my opinion Uma is also naà ¯ve, she seems to be somehow tied by a sense of duty to her parents, especially after the failure of her two arranged marriages, and what about the dowry she has squandered?! as her father reminds her. The only â€Å"pause† of her life is given by the visits of Mira-masi, a particular woman who deeply fascinates Uma for the stories she tells her: she represents a ray of hope into the life of the girl, although her parents don’t approve the complicity created between them. Arun, whose birth was really longed for, is sent to the USA where he attends the college: being the only son of the family he has the honour of receiving a good education and he has also the possibility to live far from the oppressing reality of his homeland. But his life remains very unhappy: also the family to which he lives while in America is a sort of weight for him. The second part of the novel seems to me a long digression about food, I think that the food itself is the only reason for a link between Arun and the new family, Mrs Patton in particular. I think both brother and sister are oppressed voices who want to live in peace and to escape from the world they live in, although they aren’t able to rebel against it. For this very reason I would like them to write to each other, what does not happen in the novel. Dear Arun, Maybe for the first time in my life I admit that I’m very sad but what troubles me the most is the fact that I’m not able to find a way out†¦ Our cousin Anamika is dead. Everybody here is trying to give an explanation but†¦what for, she won’t ever come back and there are no acceptable explanations for her death†¦ I absolutely can’t imagine that the urn in front of me contains her ashes†¦she is dead†¦ but I’m dead too. Her awe for the family led her towards death, but what about me? I will stay forever with MamaPapa, I can’t abandon them, they are†¦my life! When mama grips my hand I know, I feel that there is something strong between us and I can’t, I can’t leave†¦ MamaPapa is calling me†¦I have to go. I don’t know if I will ever send this letter to you: perhaps I will burn it. Uma Dear Uma, A new semester at the college is beginning and my stay with the Pattons is over. I’m happy because I can leave this strange family: it wasn’t my place, I didn’t feel comfortable with them, I felt oppressed and obliged to be part of it, maybe only because I felt sorry for Mrs Patton and I didn’t want to disappoint her. This is the reason why I gave her the presents you sent me (but please don’t reveal anything to MamaPapa!): I didn’t want her to be worried about me when I silently walked out of her life. Arun Alice Bravin 5 H Liceo Scientifico â€Å"M. Grigoletti† Pordenone Anita Desai â€Å"FASTING, FEASTING† The novel by Anita Desai appeared insipid to my eyes. If I were asked to collect all the emotions that the book has stirred in my heart, I would find myself in anguishing troubles, for I’m quite numb to it as well I am frustrated by each work of art dominated by a sense of heaviness. The characters are imbued with, or even better, they are emblems of this heaviness which reveals itself mainly in the temperament of Uma, who is the best-built character of the novel. Anita Desai succeeded in the enterprise of creating a character without personality, a woman deprived of her soul. She is the designated victim who is doomed to endure the burden of life, symbolized first of all by her parents. Uma doesn’t strike my sensibility: I don’t feel pity for her, nor would I establish a sort of sympathetic relationship with her; her ineptitude doesn’t arouse my anger, nor would I shake her out of the status of torpor she experiences. I am quite interested in one of the psychological aspects of Uma, that of repression. Uma is not free to be what she wants to be, to do what she wants to do, so she is utterly repressed in her passions, in her feelings, in her personality; this last dimension is completely neglected to her. These inner forces run inside her veins and arteries, like water permeating through the cracks of a rock and when temperatures gets colder, it becomes ice and causes the explosion of the rock. The same happens inside Uma and the implosion is disguised as a sort of disease. Convulsions, nausea which leads to vomit, suffered cries, these moments are the most involving – and at the same time disturbing – moments and situations of the novel. I would have appreciated if Anita Desai had developed this edge of the prism of Uma. Sigmund Freud stated that mental patients are like diamonds, whose structure is based on its corners. In these lines the diamond would break in case it fell on the ground. Uma is like that. Her body seems possessed by a demoniac spirit, her limbs, her bowels are rocked by the unique act of rebellion which is allowed to her. I wonder why the writer has snobbed this issue, which probably assumes a religious and philosophical value and is strictly connected to Indian culture. The heaviness that haunts the book is expressed even by the settings. Concerning this point I would like to recall the image of Uma and her aunt who leave together on a spiritual trip. The bus they catch is incredibly crowded: this episode evokes the image of mingled noises and smells within the dusty and sandy air of India. The writer enables us to appreciate each aspect of the setting – thanks to her detailed language – so that the reader manages to broaden his sensorial perceptions and is caught by the use of synaesthesia. ( The description of the believers bathing in the Gange becomes meaningful in this sense ). Before starting reading the book I thought it would be quite precious for me in order to learn more about the Indian world, even appreciating it by means of the parallel Anita Desai draws with Northern America. But I was wrong: â€Å"Fasting, feasting † doesn’t seem so representative of India: the impression I get is that of a character – Uma – who might be possibly Irish or even Italian. Westerners share the same common imagery about India and this common imagery is banal and dominated by prejudices. The book is ambiguous, in the sense that neither supports this statement, nor deny it. The same ambiguity lies in the second part of the novel – that dedicated to Arun – which takes place in the United Stated of America. Anita Desai gives us tenets and traits of the American Society coming in the story of an American family. Here there aren’t crowded busses or temples, but televisions, junk food, couches, barbecues, baseball matches and people who enjoy all these objects and events. The same dusty air is breathed by Arun when he goes back home walking on the boundaries of the street. The same atmosphere of heaviness which degenerates into disease. For these very reasons I state that Uma and her story are not so â€Å"Indian†. Moreover, I have some perplexities about the last chapter – really shorter than the first one – which doesn’t find a proper literary justification. It is a sort of appendix, even if only almost at the end of the book there’s the precise reference to the tile â€Å"Fasting, feasting† and is embodied by the bulimic girl. Alessandra Crimi 5 H Liceo Scientifico â€Å"M. Grigoletti† Pordenone Anita Desai – Fasting, Feasting Fasting, Feasting is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Thanks to the brilliant descriptions and the elegant narration the reader has the opportunity to create an imaginary but precise setting were characters develop during the story. I think that this novel is like a mirror because it gives the opportunity to reflect, in both meanings of the word. We can reflect ourselves in the protagonists (mirror-like effect) and we can reflect, think, about the different values and importance that people from different societies give to ideals they believe in. In my opinion the rhythm of the narration is sometimes too slow, but I can understand that it is due to the fact that, once again, it mirrors the context where the story takes place. In India, in fact, there is no frenetic life, no stress, no anxiety of living and for this very reason people can pay attention to little events that we probably ignore. When the father asks for his drink, it seems to me that everyone in the family has to stop and be there for this event; when a guest arrives unexpectedly, all the attention is directed to him; even the choice of one kind of food rather than another seems to be one of the most important problems of the day. . The character of Mumdad is what emotionally touched me most, maybe because to a certain extent I can detect in them some traits my parents have. The image of Mumdad on the swing describes their indissoluble bond. Mumdad are a unique person/entity made up of two different souls. These two souls are always at unison, they never take opposite decisions, they argue but they always find a compromise, they are, in a word, complementary. I always admired this ability to build little by little a life together even if, for a child, sometimes it’s not so easy to accept their decision, or rather, their impositions. Uma is my favourite character. In some parts of the novel I felt really involved in her problems, in her thoughts and desires. She loves school even if she isn’t able to get good marks; she loves learning, she wants to try again, to spend another year at school, she’s sure she will improve. She suffers when Mumdad decide she should give up her studies. She suffers when she understands she is not as beautiful, intelligent as her sister Aruna, and so she is considered a lesser woman. Uma suffers silently, she accepts her condition of inferiority, yet she is always looking for a moment of glory that, unfortunately, never comes. She is like the most humble flower that grows up silently, that is trampled from the gardener that gave her birth, because a rose is blooming next to the humble flower and he must be there to praise the perfection and beauty of the rose. I’m not saying that I reflect myself in Uma , absolutely not, on the contrary, I’m saying that all my life I have been an Aruna, and I didn’t know about it. I’m an only child, there is no Uma in my family, but thanks to the juxtaposition of the two characters I have understood that I have always been loved and pampered and nursed and highly considered and I don’t really know if I deserve all this. This book has really been a great opportunity for me, it has made me reflect on my values and on the meaning of my â€Å"little† life: too often we don’t realise what is around us. But now I want stop talking about me. I would love to write a few lines about arranged marriages. In our Western society, marriage is generally viewed as a value strongly linked with the concept of freedom, the freedom to choose the person with whom we would like to spend all our life. We have this great opportunity and we often waste it. We are free to love a person for his peculiarities and not for his money and often people choose the partner for his richness, we get married and then we divorce and kids are treated as merchandise, we often get married for reasons that sometimes are far away from love and we claim to judge a society where parents choose a spouse for their children. I think that Western people are more contradictory than what they want to admit and perhaps less happy. Perhaps it is this very feeling that leads plenty of us to judge other cultures. DA PIEVE LUCIA 5 H Liceo scientifico â€Å"M. Grigoletti† Anita Desai â€Å"Fasting,Feasting† This is the first book by Anita Desai I have ever read. Her observations are astute whether they are on living conditions in India or USA. Anita Desai uses her words perfectly to convey exactly what she feels,but even if it could seem a contradiction,I think that the problem with the book is its dry, clinical approach in chronicling the lives of the characters, the book lacks passion. I was always on the outside, looking into the lives of people. The book offers few chances of getting involved with the characters ,in fact while reading the book I didn’t feel the compulsion of finishing it quickly. The part I liked better is the first half of the book that deals with life in a small, slow town in India, with rigid parents and well-drafted routines. The †Indian half† is more detailed than the other half which deals with the rule-less† life in suburban USA. In the first half there is a partly successful, proud father, who goes through life, with set patterns and no passion. A mother who goes along with her husband, doing what is supposedly right and expected of her, curbing and killing all her innate desires. Three children. The eldest, Uma, clumsy . The middle daughter Aruna, pretty, ambitious and smart, but eventually also a victim of her choices. The last, a son, Arun, on whom the parents put all their dreams and energies. All of them, along with members of their extended family, go through some form of deprivation (of will, of fun, of passion and of love). I think that a merit of this book is the way it highlights the Indian traditions, cultures and mostly the place of a woman in an Indian family. I liked the character of Uma in the book because she is both willing to take a chance with life and at the same time dedicated to her family.She takes whatever happens to her life with such grace that she does not give me a chance to cry for her. I like her inner strength. The story in itself is told from the perspective of the protagonist, Uma, who starts out as a wideeyed child at a convent who shows an enthusiasm for education but with the birth of her brother Arun, Uma takes on the role of nanny. Here, one encounters the distinct preference parents have for the male child. Desai next explores the conventional belief that ties a womans worth to her physical appearance. A woman who lacks beauty is often rushed into the first marital offer she receives, only to pay a heavy price later on. Desai shows the challenges a single woman faces regardless of how successful she is. By contrast, Umas cousin is portrayed as the ultimate success because she is able to marry well thanks to her looks. She makes the reader wonder how happy she truly is, when she eventually takes her own life. Uma is the main character in the first half of the novel. She is a clumsy, uncoordinated woman who finds it difficult to succeed in almost everything she does she fails in school, cant cook, spills food and drink and cant find anyone worthwhile to get married to. Her father feels that Uma is incapable of fending for herself, as she is too clumsy, uncoordinated and proves a failure in almost everything she does.Uma fails in school, in the kitchen and she even fails to find anyone worthwhile to get married to. The father asks Uma to interrupt her studies in the Christian convent when he find out she not doing very well at school. He feels that it was a waste of time and money to provide Uma an education ;he has other plans for her.She will look after her baby brother Arun and take care of the household while her mother rests after giving birth. Uma’s life is constantly planned by her father.Uma cannot resist her father’s oppressive patriarchal ideology, as she is afraid of the consequences that would befall her if she angered the colonial characteristics of her father. Uma’s entertainment comes in the form of her cousin, Ramu. When Ramu is around, Uma feels at ease. But the father feels that Ramu is a bad influence on Uma. He does not want Uma to be influenced by other men who are capable of brainwashing her to resist the demands of his patriarchal nature.

Northern vs Southern States, Education :: essays research papers

It seems important to understand the similarities of the colonial regions in order to comprehend the implications they had. By comparing the Middle Colonies and New England, and by contrasting the future North to the South, it becomes relatively easy to draw patterns. In 1760, the population in New England counts 16,000 Africans, 29,000 for the Middle Colonies whereas the South populates 205,000 Africans. Slavery is then mainly concentrated in the South, involving more agrarian activities and land farmers. Life expectancy in New England and the Middle Colonies were higher while death rates were superior in the South. The cities mainly initiated in New England and then followed by the Middle Colonies. South colonies had smaller towns, more fields. Nevertheless, cities involve more social problems such as crime and vice. The rural exodus of poor people to the cities explains the reason Revolutionary crisis started in the cities. New England and the Middle Colonies (to a smaller degree) symbolized the industrial power where industries such as metal manufacturing, lumbering, mining and fishing were predominant in these regions. For the most part, they were white workers (artisans, crafters, silver working) and the trades would take place between the colonies. To the contrary of these two regions, the South would focus more on massive slaves work to grow tobacco and rice that they would sell to England. As we can notice, the two trading systems have different markets. New England and the Middle colonies would trade more internally, helping merchants with the Act of Navigation, whereas the South targets England as a market for more commercial trades. Concerning religion and education, New England primary had universities based on a religious belief (i.e., Harvard and Yale) but progressively went to a religious liberalism. The Middle Colonies were famous for their

Classical Argument

Tiffany E. Duncan Shannon Collins Eng 101 September 23, 2012 Classical Argument Remodeling a house on one’s own isn’t as cheap or as easy as it may seem, because more problems are often revealed during the demolition stage of remodeling. One can’t always prepare in advance for unforeseen problems when remodeling and it isn’t always cheaper doing them on one’s own rather than hiring a professional. I was able to prove this to myself when I was remodeling my own house.The original plan was to have all the remodeling completed within a year; my time spent on the project is now over double what I expected and I’m only about three fourths of the way complete. I had 6 projects that I wanted to do, keep in mind I live in an old farm house that was abandoned for 4 years before I began. I planned on: refinishing all of the cabinets throughout the house, installing all new windows, a complete bathroom remodel, new floors in the entire house, new ceilin gs in three rooms, and painting the entire house.I couldn’t remodel my house full time when it wasn’t livable being I’m a single mother of two. That made it even harder; but I also had less time to work than I planned because I also started attending college about one month into the renovation. When I started I expected to spend right around $5,000. 00. This was roughly the cost of all materials with about $1,000. 00 extra for anything that came up unexpected. For the most part I have done all the renovations myself with some help from family and friends; I’ve had to call in a professional once. My running total is around $10,000. 0, which is double of what I planned on spending and it’s still going up! The first project I began was refinishing the cabinets. This was quite a task; I took all the cabinet facings and doors off, sanded them as well as the cabinets and painted them. All the cabinets in my kitchen, 16 of them, took me approximately 5 mo nths to complete. Luckily my Dad was his own handy man so his tools and skills of the trade came in handy often! An unforeseen task came when I started redoing the ceiling’s in the bathroom, my bedroom, and the hall way. I learned the house wasn’t exactly built square.Just to be able to do my ceiling the correct way I had to add two inches to the ceiling rafters on about half the room. Not expecting this, I over spent $80 on this project. This was a small increase but every little thing you don’t expect adds up quickly. The entire ceiling project ended up costing me an extra $600 over my estimate. With the house not being square, drywall was wasted and it was harder to apply the mud tape (which led me to buy a more expensive tape). What should have taken approximately two weeks to complete took a total of two and a half months.For the bathroom remodel I allotted myself $600. 00 to spend; which is on the lower side for a complete bathroom overhaul. But I really d id my research on this one; a new toilet was $300 and a new bathtub $200. I was able to get cabinets from my mom when she was redoing her kitchen and I used those in the bathroom; which surprisingly saved me about $600. 00 if I bought them new. I just had to refinish them and paint them, and that little project still isn’t complete. When I tried to take the bathtub out, I removed seal and unhooked all the plumbing but it wouldn’t budge.I called a few of my family members to help remove it since it was a porcelain tub which is quite heavy. It still wouldn’t come out, the fit was too tight. We used a little intuition and decided to just cut the bathtub out. Once it was cut in half it did give us enough room to get it out. However, putting the new tub in became and even harder task. We tried every way possible to put it in, but there wasn’t enough room. It was even the same size as the old tub. When we measured the dimensions; it was out of square by almost three inches.So we had to tear down the wall at the end of where the bathtub would go, install the tub, and rebuild the wall. Supplies were costly for this bringing my expenses up $150 more than I planned and it added almost a weeks’ worth of work. The toilet was supposed to be an easy job; uninstall the old one, add a new seal and install the new one. Once the old one was taken off, we discovered it had been leaking on the floor; ruining approximately a 4’x5’ section. We had to rip the old floor out, install new floor rafters and new floor.This added $200 more to my quickly rising total, for my new toilet and about two extra weeks of work since I couldn’t begin doing the flooring myself. Now I was 10 months into the project and more than ready to move; since I was living with my mother while I was completing the renovation. I decided to redo the floors and paint next; I could redo windows after I moved in. I pulled the old flooring up first; this took 3 weeks and should have only taken a couple of days. Apparently the previous owners had pets and they used the restroom on the carpets numerous times.So instead of being able to just pull the carpet up, I had to scrape it up. This didn’t add on to my expenses since I was doing it myself, it just took a lot of patience because it took so long to do. Once it was all up, I had the floors inspected. To my surprise a support beam had given out under the front of the house. I had to call in reinforcements; my dad and brother were both great handymen for the project. They had to use three jacks and actually jack the house up while they cut out the floor over the broken beam, took the beam out and put a new beam in.This added about $700 onto my estimates but only an extra day worth of work. With the carpet up and the beam fixed, I was ready to paint. It took me 3 months to get everything painted. I ended up having to buy Kilz to cover up stains, trimming to replace what was already mis sing or broken, and a lot of paint supplies. It took me three months to paint the whole house, and I ended up about $500 over budget on supplies then I anticipated. I was going to do my floors myself, but it wouldn’t have saved me any money once I purchased the trimming and the tools needed to install the carpet.Plus I was so exhausted from working on everything else I opted to hire in professionals to install my carpet. I did have to get on a list for installation, adding a week of just waiting to my time. It was worth it once the floors were in, it looked great and I was finally getting my energy back. Remodeling a house on one’s own isn’t as cheap or as easy as it may seem. It took me 14 months until I was able to move in my house. I had planned on being finished within 12 months and my work was only half done. Not to mention I was already over $2500 being past my estimates on the house.It took a lot to be able to do the renovations myself, running into probl ems every time I turned around. I had to hire in professionals once but I probably should have a few more times. I tried to stay as close to my budget as possible. Many of the factors that rose my spending were because more problems were revealed during the demolition stage of remodeling. One can’t always prepare in advance for unforeseen problems when remodeling and it isn’t always cheaper doing them on one’s own rather than hiring a professional.

Spirit Bound Chapter Three

THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS were strange. The other novices and I might have had the flashiest graduation, but we weren't the only ones finishing our education at St. Vladimir's. The Moroi had their own commencement ceremony, and campus grew packed with visitors. Then, almost as quickly as they came, parents disappeared–taking their sons and daughters with them. Royal Moroi left to spend their summers with their parents at luxury estates–many in the Southern Hemisphere, where the days were shorter this time of year. â€Å"Ordinary† Moroi left with their parents too, off to more modest homes, possibly getting summer jobs before college. And of course, with school wrapping up for the summer, all the other students left too. Some with no family to go home to, usually dhampirs, stayed year-round, taking special electives, but they were the minority. Campus grew emptier each day as my classmates and I waited for the day when we'd be taken to the Royal Court. We made our farewells to others, Moroi moving on or younger dhampirs who'd soon be following in our footsteps. One person I was sad to part with was Jill. I happened to catch her as I was walking toward Lissa's dorm the day before my Court trip. There was a woman with Jill, presumably her mother, and both were carrying boxes. Jill's face lit up when she saw me. â€Å"Hey Rose! I said goodbye to everyone else but couldn't find you,† she said excitedly. I smiled. â€Å"Well, I'm glad you caught me.† I couldn't tell her that I'd been saying goodbye too. I'd spent my last day at St. Vladimir's walking all the familiar sites, starting with the elementary campus where Lissa and I had first met in kindergarten. I'd explored the halls and corners of my dorms, walked past favorite classrooms, and even visited the chapel. I'd also passed a lot of time in areas filled with bittersweet memories, like the training areas where I'd first gotten to know Dimitri. The track where he used to make me run laps. The cabin where we'd finally given in to each other. It had been one of the most amazing nights of my life, and thinking about it always brought me both joy and pain. Jill didn't need to be burdened with any of that, though. I turned toward her mother and started to offer my hand until I realized she couldn't shake it while maneuvering the box. â€Å"I'm Rose Hathaway. Here, let me carry that.† I took it before she could protest because I was certain she would. â€Å"Thank you,† she said, pleasantly surprised. I fell in step with them as they began walking again. â€Å"I'm Emily Mastrano. Jill's told me a lot about you.† â€Å"Oh yeah?† I asked, giving Jill a teasing smile. â€Å"Not that much. Just how I hang out with you sometimes.† There was a slight warning in Jill's green eyes, and it occurred to me that Emily probably didn't know her daughter practiced forbidden forms of Strigoi-killing magic in her free time. â€Å"We like having Jill around,† I said, not blowing her cover. â€Å"And one of these days, we're going to teach her to tame that hair.† Emily laughed. â€Å"I've been trying for almost fifteen years. Good luck.† Jill's mother was stunning. The two didn't resemble each other much, at least not superficially. Emily's lustrous hair was straight and black, her eyes deep blue and long-lashed. She moved with a willowy grace, very different from Jill's always self-conscious walk. Yet, I could see the shared genes here and there, the heart-shaped faces and lip shapes. Jill was still young, and as she grew into her features, she'd likely be a heartbreaker herself someday–something she was probably oblivious to right now. Hopefully her self-confidence would grow. â€Å"Where's home for you guys?† I asked. â€Å"Detroit,† said Jill, making a face. â€Å"It's not that bad,† laughed her mom. â€Å"There are no mountains. Just highways.† â€Å"I'm part of a ballet company there,† Emily explained. â€Å"So we stay where we can pay the bills.† I think I was more surprised that people went to the ballet in Detroit than that Emily was a ballerina. It made sense, watching her, and really, with their tall and slim builds, Moroi were ideal dancers as far as humans were concerned. â€Å"Hey, it's a big city,† I told Jill. â€Å"Enjoy the excitement while you can before you come back to the boring middle of nowhere.† Of course, illicit combat training and Strigoi attacks were hardly boring, but I wanted to make Jill feel better. â€Å"And it won't be that long.† Moroi summer vacations were barely two months. Parents were eager to return their children to the safety of the Academy. â€Å"I guess,† said Jill, not sounding convinced. We reached their car, and I loaded the boxes into the trunk. â€Å"I'll e-mail you when I can,† I promised. â€Å"And I bet Christian will too. Maybe I can even talk Adrian into it.† Jill brightened, and I was happy to see her return to her normal overexcited self. â€Å"Really? That would be great. I want to hear everything that goes on at Court. You'll probably get to do all sorts of cool things with Lissa and Adrian, and I bet Christian will find out all sorts of things†¦ about things.† Emily didn't seem to notice Jill's lame editing attempt and instead fixed me with a pretty smile. â€Å"Thanks for your help, Rose. It was great to meet you.† â€Å"You too–umph!† Jill had thrown herself into me with a hug. â€Å"Good luck with everything,† she said. â€Å"You're so lucky–you're going to have such a great life now!† I returned the hug, unable to explain how jealous of her I was. Her life was still safe and innocent. She might resent spending a summer in Detroit, but the stay would be brief, and soon she'd be back in the familiar and easy world of St. Vladimir's. She wouldn't be setting out into the unknown and its dangers. It was only after she and her mother had driven off that I could bring myself to respond to her comment. â€Å"I hope so,† I murmured, thinking about what was to come. â€Å"I hope so.† My classmates and select Moroi flew out early the next day, leaving the rocky mountains of Montana behind for the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. The Royal Court was a lot like I remembered, with the same imposing, ancient feel that St. Vladimir's tried to impart with its towering buildings and intricate stone architecture. But the school also seemed to want to show off a wise, studious air, whereas the Court was more ostentatious. It was like the buildings themselves tried to make sure we all knew that this was the seat of power and royalty among the Moroi. The Royal Court wanted us to be amazed and maybe a little cowed. And even though I'd been here before, I was still impressed. The doors and windows of the tan stone buildings were embossed and framed in pristine golden decorations. They were a far cry from the brightness I'd seen in Russia, but I realized now that the Court's designers had modeled these buildings off the old European ones–the fortresses and palaces of Saint Petersburg. St. Vladimir's had benches and paths in the quads and courtyards, but the Court went a step further. Fountains and elaborate statues of past rulers adorned the lawns, exquisite marble works that had previously been hidden in snow. Now, in the full throes of summer, they were bright and on display. And everywhere, everywhere were flowers on trees, bushes, paths–it was dazzling. It made sense that new grads would visit the guardians' central administration, but it occurred to me that there was another reason they brought new guardians here in the summer. They wanted my classmates and me to see all of this, to be overwhelmed and appreciative of the glory for which we were fighting. Looking at the faces of the new graduates, I knew the tactic was working. Most had never been here before. Lissa and Adrian had been on my flight, and the three of us clustered together as we walked with the group. It was as warm as it had been in Montana, but the humidity here was much thicker. I was sweating after only a little light walking. â€Å"You did bring a dress this time, right?† asked Adrian. â€Å"Of course,† I said. â€Å"They've got some fancy things they want us to go to, aside from the main reception. Although, they might give me my black-and-white for that.† He shook his head, and I noticed his hand start to move toward his pocket before hesitating and pulling back. He might have been making progress in quitting smoking, but I was pretty sure the subconscious urge to automatically reach for a pack when outdoors was hard to get rid of so quickly. â€Å"I mean for tonight. For dinner.† I glanced questioningly at Lissa. Her schedule at Court always had assorted functions thrown into it that â€Å"average people† didn't attend. With my new and uncertain status, I wasn't sure if I'd be going with her. I sensed her puzzlement through the bond and could tell that she didn't have a clue about any special dinner plans. â€Å"What dinner?† I asked. â€Å"The one I set up with my family.† â€Å"The one you–† I came to an abrupt halt and stared wide-eyed, not liking the smirk on his face one bit. â€Å"Adrian!† A few of the new grads gave me curious looks and continued walking around us. â€Å"Come on, we've been going out a couple months. Meeting parents is part of the dating ritual. I've met your mom. I even met your scary-ass dad. Now it's your turn. I guarantee none of my family's gonna make the kind of suggestions your dad did.† I'd actually kind of met Adrian's dad before. Or, well, I'd seen him at a party. I doubted he had any idea who I was–my crazy reputation aside. I knew almost nothing about Adrian's mother. He actually spoke very little about his family members–well, most of them. â€Å"Just your parents?† I asked warily. â€Å"Any other family I should know about?† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Adrian's hand twitched again. I think this time he wanted a cigarette as some sort of protection from the warning note in my voice. Lissa, I observed, seemed highly amused by all of this. â€Å"My favorite great-aunt might stop by.† â€Å"Tatiana?† I exclaimed. For the hundredth time, I wondered how I had lucked out with a guy related to the leader of the entire Moroi world. â€Å"She hates me! You know what happened the last time we talked.† Her Royal Majesty had laid into me, yelling about how I was too trashy to hook up with her nephew and how she had great â€Å"plans† for him and Lissa. â€Å"I think she's come around.† â€Å"Oh, come on.† â€Å"No, really.† He almost looked like he was telling the truth. â€Å"I talked to my mom the other day, and†¦ I don't know. Aunt Tatiana doesn't seem to hate you as much.† I frowned, and the three of us began to walk again. â€Å"Maybe she admires your recent vigilante work,† mused Lissa. â€Å"Maybe,† I said. But I didn't really believe it. If anything, me going rogue should have made me more despicable in the queen's eyes. I felt kind of betrayed that Adrian had sprung this dinner on me, but there was nothing to be done about it now. The only bright side was that I had the impression he was teasing me about his aunt stopping by. I told him I'd go, and my decision put him in a good enough mood that he didn't ask too many questions when Lissa and I said we were going to do â€Å"our own thing† that afternoon. My classmates were all getting a tour of the Court and its grounds as part of their indoctrination, but I'd seen it all before and was able to wiggle out of it. Lissa and I dropped our belongings off in our rooms and then set out to the far side of the Court, where the not-so-royal people lived. â€Å"Are you going to tell me yet what this other part of your plan is?† asked Lissa. Ever since Abe had explained about Victor's prison, I'd been making another mental list of the problems we'd have breaking into it. Mainly, there were two, which was one less than I'd initially had since talking to Abe. Not that things were really much easier. First, we had no clue where in Alaska this place was. Second, we didn't know what the prison's defenses and layout were like. We had no idea what we had to bust through. Yet, something told me all of these answers could be found in one source, which meant I really only had one immediate problem: how to reach that source. Fortunately, I knew someone who might be able to help get us there. â€Å"We're going to see Mia,† I told her. Mia Rinaldi was a former Moroi classmate of ours–a former enemy, actually. She was also the poster child for total personality makeovers. She'd gone from a scheming bitch who was willing to crush–and sleep with–anyone in her quest for popularity to a down-to-earth, confident girl eager to learn to defend herself and others from Strigoi. She lived here at Court with her father. â€Å"You think Mia knows how to break into a prison?† â€Å"Mia's good, but I don't think she's that good. She can probably help us get intel, though.† Lissa groaned. â€Å"I can't believe you just used the word intel. This really is turning into a spy movie.† She spoke flippantly, but I could feel the worry within her. The light tone was masking her fear, the unease she still felt about freeing Victor, despite her promise to me. Those non-royals who worked and did ordinary things at Court lived in apartments far from the queen's quarters and receiving hall. I'd gotten Mia's address in advance, and we set out across the perfectly manicured grounds, grumbling to each other along the way about the hot day. We found her at home, casually dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with a Popsicle in her hand. Her eyes widened when she saw us outside her door. â€Å"Well, I'll be damned,† she said. I laughed. It was the kind of response I'd give. â€Å"Nice to see you too. Can we come in?† â€Å"Of course.† She stepped aside. â€Å"You want a Popsicle?† Did I ever. I took a grape one and sat with her and Lissa in the small living room. The place was a far cry from the opulence of royal guest housing, but it was cozy and clean and undoubtedly well loved by Mia and her father. â€Å"I knew the grads were coming,† Mia said, brushing blond curls out of her face. â€Å"But I wasn't sure if you were with them or not. Did you even graduate?† â€Å"I did,† I said. â€Å"Got the promise mark and everything.† I lifted my hair so she could see the bandage. â€Å"I'm surprised they let you back in after you took off on your killing spree. Or did you get extra credit for that?† Apparently, Mia had heard the same tall tale about my adventures that everyone else had. That was fine with me. I didn't want to talk about the truth. I didn't want to talk about Dimitri. â€Å"Do you think anyone could stop Rose from doing what she wants?† asked Lissa with a smile. She was trying to keep us from getting into too much detail about my past whereabouts, for which I was grateful. Mia laughed and crunched on a big chunk of lime ice. It was a wonder she didn't get brain freeze. â€Å"True.† Her smile faded as she swallowed the bite. Her blue eyes, always shrewd, studied me in silence for a few moments. â€Å"And Rose wants something now.† â€Å"Hey, we're just happy to see you,† I said. â€Å"I believe you. But I also believe you've got an ulterior motive.† Lissa's smile grew. She was amused by me being caught in my spy game. â€Å"What makes you say that? Can you read Rose that well or do you just always assume she's got an ulterior motive?† Now Mia smiled again. â€Å"Both.† She scooted forward on the couch, fixing me with a serious look. When had she grown so perceptive? â€Å"Okay. No point in wasting time. What do you need my help with?† I sighed, busted. â€Å"I need to get inside the guardians' main security office.† Beside me, Lissa made a sort of strangled noise. I felt kind of bad for her. While she could conceal her thoughts from me on occasion, there wasn't much she did or said that came as a true surprise. Me? I continually blindsided her. She had no clue what was coming half the time, but honestly, if we were planning on springing a renowned criminal out of prison, then breaking into a security office shouldn't have been that big of a shock. â€Å"Wow,† said Mia. â€Å"You don't waste time with the little stuff.† Her grin twitched a bit. â€Å"Of course, you wouldn't come to me with little stuff. You could do that yourself.† â€Å"Can you get me–us–in there?† I asked. â€Å"You're friendly with some of the guardians here†¦ and your dad has access to a lot of places†¦.† I didn't know Mr. Rinaldi's exact job, but I thought it was maintenance-related. â€Å"What are you looking for?† she asked. She held up a hand when I opened my mouth to protest. â€Å"No, no. I don't need details. Just a general idea so I can figure this out. I know you're not going there just to tour the place.† â€Å"I need some records,† I explained. Her eyebrows rose. â€Å"Personnel? Trying to get yourself a job?† â€Å"I–no.† Huh. That wasn't a bad idea, considering my precarious position with being assigned to Lissa. But no. One issue at a time. â€Å"I need some records about outside security at other places–schools, royal homes, prisons.† I tried to keep my expression casual as I mentioned that last one. Mia was on board with some crazy things, but even she had her limits. â€Å"I figured they must keep that stuff there?† â€Å"They do,† she said. â€Å"But most of it's electronic. And no offense, but that might even be beyond your abilities. Even if we could get to one of their computers, everything's password protected. And if they walk away, they lock the computers. I'm guessing you haven't become a hacker since the last time I saw you.† No, certainly not. And unlike the heroes of those spy movies Lissa teased me about, I had no tech-savvy friends who could even come close to breaking that kind of encryption and security. Damn. I stared glumly at my feet, wondering if I had any chance at all of getting more information out of Abe. â€Å"But,† said Mia, â€Å"if the information you need isn't too current, they might still have paper copies.† I jerked my head up. â€Å"Where?† â€Å"They've got mass storage rooms, tucked away in one of the basements. Files and files. Still under lock and key–but probably easier to get to than fighting the computers. Again, depends on what you need. How old it is.† Abe had given me the impression that Tarasov Prison had been around for a while. Surely there was a record of it in these archives. I didn't doubt the guardians had gone digital a while ago, which meant we might not find up-to-the-minute details on the place's security, but I'd settle for a blueprint. â€Å"It might be what we need. Can you get us in?† Mia was quiet for several seconds, and I could see her mind whirring. â€Å"Possibly.† She glanced at Lissa. â€Å"Can you still compel people into being your slaves?† Lissa grimaced. â€Å"I don't like to think of it like that, but yeah, I can.† It was another of spirit's perks. Mia considered a few moments more and then gave a quick nod. â€Å"Okay. Come back around two, and we'll see what we can do.† Two in the afternoon for the rest of the world meant the middle of the night for Moroi, who ran on a nocturnal schedule. Being out in broad daylight didn't feel particularly sneaky, but I had to figure Mia's planning here was based on the fact that there would also be fewer people around that time of day. I was trying to decide if we should socialize more or head out when a knock interrupted my thoughts. Mia flinched and suddenly looked uncomfortable. She rose to get the door, and a familiar voice drifted down the hall toward us. â€Å"Sorry I'm early, but I–â€Å" Christian stepped into the living room. He abruptly shut up when he saw Lissa and me. Everyone seemed frozen, so it looked like it was up to me to pretend like this wasn't a horribly awkward situation. â€Å"Hey, Christian,† I said cheerfully. â€Å"How's it going?† His eyes were on Lissa, and it took him a moment to drag them to me. â€Å"Fine.† He glanced at Mia. â€Å"I can come back†¦. â€Å" Lissa hastily stood up. â€Å"No,† she said, voice cool and princesslike. â€Å"Rose and I have to go anyway.† â€Å"Yeah,† I agreed, following her lead. â€Å"We have†¦ stuff†¦ to do. And we don't want to interrupt your†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hell, I had no idea what they were going to do. Wasn't sure I wanted to. Mia had found her voice. â€Å"Christian wanted to see some of the moves I've been practicing with the campus guardians.† â€Å"Cool.† I kept the smile on my face as Lissa and I moved toward the door. She stepped as far around Christian as she could. â€Å"Jill will be jealous.† And not just Jill. After another round of goodbyes, Lissa and I left and set back off across the grounds. I could feel the anger and jealousy radiating through her bond. â€Å"It's only their fight club, Liss,† I said, having no need for her side of the conversation. â€Å"Nothing's going on. They're going to talk punches and kicking and other boring stuff.† Well, actually that stuff was pretty sweet, but I wasn't about to glorify Christian and Mia hanging out. â€Å"Maybe now nothing's going on,† she growled, staring stonily ahead. â€Å"But who knows what could happen? They spend time together, practice some physical moves, one thing leads to another–â€Å" â€Å"That's ridiculous,† I said. â€Å"That kind of stuff isn't romantic at all.† Another lie, seeing as that was exactly how my relationship with Dimitri had begun. Again, best not to mention that. â€Å"Besides, Christian can't be involved with every girl he hangs out with. Mia, Jill–no offense, but he's not really that much of a ladies' man.† â€Å"He's really good-looking,† she argued, those dark feelings still seething within her. â€Å"Yeah,† I conceded, keeping my eyes carefully on the pathway. â€Å"But it takes more than that. And besides, I thought you didn't care what he did.† â€Å"I don't,† she agreed, not even convincing herself, let alone me. â€Å"Not at all.† My attempts to distract her proved pretty useless for the rest of the day. Tasha's words came back to me: Why haven't you fixed this? Because Lissa and Christian were being too damned unreasonable, both caught up in their own pissed-off feelings–which were kind of pissing me off in return. Christian would have been pretty helpful in my illicit escapades, but I had to keep my distance for Lissa's sake. I finally left her to her bad mood when dinner came around. Compared to her romantic situation, my relationship with a semi-spoiled royal playboy from a disapproving family seemed downright optimistic. What a sad and scary world this was becoming. I assured Lissa I'd head straight back after dinner and that we'd go see Mia together. The mention of Mia didn't make Lissa happy, but the thought of a potential break-in did distract her momentarily from Christian. The dress I had for dinner was maroon, made of light, gauzy material that was great for summer weather. The neckline was decent, and little cap sleeves gave it a classy edge. With my hair in a low ponytail that did a decent job of hiding the healing tattoo, I almost looked like a respectable girlfriend–which only went to show how deceptive appearances were, seeing as I was part of a crazy scheme to bring my last boyfriend back from the dead. Adrian surveyed me from head to toe when I arrived at his parents' town house. They kept a permanent residence here at the Court. The small smile on his face told me he liked what he saw. â€Å"You approve?† I asked, spinning around. He slipped an arm around my waist. â€Å"Unfortunately, yes. I was hoping you'd show up in something a lot sluttier. Something that would scandalize my parents.† â€Å"Sometimes it's like you don't even care about me as a person,† I observed as we walked inside. â€Å"It's like you're just using me for shock value.† â€Å"It's both, little dhampir. I care about you, and I'm using you for shock value.† I hid a smile as the Ivashkovs' housekeeper led us toward the dining room. The Court actually had restaurants and cafes tucked away within its buildings, but royals like Adrian's parents would consider it classier to have a fancy dinner in their home. Me, I would have preferred being out in public. More escape options. â€Å"You must be Rose.† My assessment of the exits was interrupted when a very tall, very elegant Moroi woman came into the room. She wore a long, dark green satin dress that immediately made me feel out of place and that perfectly matched the color of her–and Adrian's–eyes. Her dark hair was pulled into a bun, and she smiled down at me with genuine warmth as she took my hand. â€Å"I'm Daniella Ivashkov,† she said. â€Å"It's very nice to meet you at last.† Was it really? My hand automatically shook hers in return. â€Å"Nice to meet you too, Lady Ivashkov.† â€Å"Call me Daniella, please.† She turned to Adrian and tsked as she straightened the collar of his button-up shirt. â€Å"Honestly, darling,† she said. â€Å"Do you even look in a mirror before you walk out the door? Your hair's a mess.† He dodged her as she reached toward his head. â€Å"Are you kidding? I spent hours in front of the mirror to make it look this way.† She gave a tormented sigh. â€Å"Some days I can't decide if I'm lucky or not to have no other children.† Behind her, quiet servants were setting food out on the table. Steam rose up from the platters, and my stomach rumbled. I hoped no one else heard. Daniella glanced off down the hall beyond her. â€Å"Nathan, will you hurry up? The food's getting cold.† A few moments later, heavy footsteps sounded on the ornate wood floor, and Nathan Ivashkov swept into the room. Like his wife, he was dressed formally, the blue satin of his tie gleaming next to the starkness of his heavy black suit coat. I was glad they had air-conditioning in here, or he'd have been melting in that heavy fabric. The feature on him that stood out the most was what I remembered from before: a distinctly silver head of hair and mustache. I wondered if Adrian's hair would look like that when he was older. Nah, I'd never find out. Adrian would probably dye his hair at the first sign of gray–or silver. Adrian's father might be exactly as I remembered, but it was clear he had no clue who I was. In fact, he seemed genuinely startled to see me. â€Å"This is Adrian's, ah, friend, Rose Hathaway,† said Daniella gently. â€Å"You remember–he said he'd bring her tonight.† â€Å"It's nice to meet you, Lord Ivashkov.† Unlike his wife, he didn't offer to put us on a first-name basis, which relieved me a little. The Strigoi who had forcefully turned Dimitri had been named Nathan too, and it wasn't a name I wanted to speak aloud. Adrian's father looked me over, but it wasn't with the appreciation Adrian had shown earlier. It was more like I was an oddity. â€Å"Oh. The dhampir girl.† He wasn't rude exactly, just disinterested. I mean, it wasn't like he called me a blood whore or anything. We all sat down to eat, and although Adrian kept his typical devil-may-care smile on his face, I again got the vibe that he really, really wanted a cigarette. Probably hard liquor, too. Being around his parents was not something he enjoyed. When one of the servants poured us all wine, Adrian looked immensely relieved and didn't hold back. I shot him a cautioning look that he ignored. Nathan managed to rapidly devour his balsamic-glazed pork medallions while still looking elegant and proper. â€Å"So,† he said, attention focused on Adrian, â€Å"now that Vasilisa's graduated, what are you going to do with yourself? You aren't going to keep slumming with high school students, are you? There's no point in you being there anymore.† â€Å"I don't know,† said Adrian lazily. He shook his head, further tousling his carefully mussed hair. â€Å"I kind of like hanging out with them. They think I'm funnier than I really am.† â€Å"Unsurprising,† his father replied. â€Å"You aren't funny at all. It's time you do something productive. If you aren't going to go back to college, you should at least start sitting in on some of the family business meetings. Tatiana spoils you, but you could learn a lot from Rufus.† I knew enough about royal politics to recognize the name. The oldest member of each family was usually its â€Å"prince† or â€Å"princess† and held a Royal Council position–and was eligible to become king or queen. When Tatiana had taken the crown, Rufus had become prince of the Ivashkov family since he was the next oldest. â€Å"True,† said Adrian deadpan. He wasn't eating so much as pushing his food around. â€Å"I'd really like to know how he keeps his two mistresses a secret from his wife.† â€Å"Adrian!† snapped Daniella, a flush spilling over her pale cheeks. â€Å"Don't say things like that at our dinner table–and certainly not in front of a guest.† Nathan seemed to notice me again and gave a dismissive shrug. â€Å"She doesn't matter.† I bit my lip on that, repressing the urge to see if I could throw my china plate Frisbee style and hit him in the head. I decided against it. Not only would it ruin dinner, but the plate probably wouldn't get the lift I needed. Nathan turned his scowl back to Adrian. â€Å"But you do. I'm not going to have you sitting around doing nothing–and using our money to fund it.† Something told me I should stay out of this, but I couldn't stand to see Adrian dressed down by his annoying father. Adrian did sit around and waste money, but Nathan didn't have the right to make fun of him for it. I mean, sure, I did all the time. But that was different. â€Å"Maybe you could go to Lehigh with Lissa,† I offered. â€Å"Keep studying spirit with her and then†¦ do whatever else you were doing the last time you were in college†¦.† â€Å"Drinking and skipping classes,† said Nathan. â€Å"Art,† said Daniella. â€Å"Adrian took art classes.† â€Å"Really?† I asked, turning to him in surprise. Somehow, I could imagine him as an artistic type. It fit his erratic personality. â€Å"Then this would be perfect. You could pick it up again.† He shrugged and finished his second glass of wine. â€Å"I don't know. This college would probably have the same problem the last one did.† I frowned. â€Å"What's that?† â€Å"Homework.† â€Å"Adrian,† growled his father. â€Å"It's okay,† said Adrian breezily. He rested his arm casually on the table. â€Å"I don't really need a job or extra money. After Rose and I get married, the kids and I'll just live off of her guardian paycheck.† We all froze, even me. I knew perfectly well that he was joking. I mean, even if he harbored fantasies of marriage and kids (and I was pretty sure he didn't), the meager salary a guardian made would never be enough to keep him in the luxurious life he required. Adrian's father, however, clearly did not think he was joking. Daniella seemed undecided. Me, I was just uncomfortable. It was a very, very bad topic to bring up at a dinner like this, and I couldn't believe Adrian had gone there. I didn't even think the wine was to blame. Adrian just liked tormenting his father that much. The awful silence grew thicker and thicker. My gut instinct to fill conversation voids was raging, but something told me to stay quiet. The tension increased. When the doorbell rang, all four of us nearly jumped out of our chairs. The housekeeper, Torrie, scurried off to answer it, and I breathed a mental sigh of relief. An unexpected visitor would help ease the tension. Or maybe not. Torrie cleared her throat when she returned, clearly flustered as she looked from Daniella to Nathan. â€Å"Her Royal Majesty Queen Tatiana is here.† No. Way. All three Ivashkovs stood up abruptly, and a half second later, I joined them. I hadn't believed Adrian earlier when he said Tatiana might come. From his face, he seemed pretty surprised now too. But sure enough, there she was. She swept into the room, elegant in what must have been business casual for her: tailored black slacks and jacket with a red silk and lace blouse underneath. Little jeweled barrettes gleamed in her dark hair, and those imperious eyes peered down at us all as we offered hasty bows. Even her own family followed formalities. â€Å"Aunt Tatiana,† said Nathan, forcing what looked like a smile onto his face. I don't think he did it very often. â€Å"Won't you join us for dinner?† She waved a hand dismissively. â€Å"No, no. I can't stay. I'm on my way to meet with Priscilla but thought I'd stop by when I heard Adrian had returned.† Her gaze fell on him. â€Å"I can't believe you've been here all day and didn't come visit.† Her voice was cool, but I swear there was an amused twinkle in her eyes. It was scary. She wasn't someone I thought of as warm and fuzzy. The whole experience of seeing her outside of one of her ceremonial rooms was totally unreal. Adrian grinned at her. He was clearly the most comfortable person in the room right now. For reasons I never understood, Tatiana loved and spoiled Adrian. That wasn't to say that she didn't love her other family members; it was just clear that he was her favorite. It had always surprised me, considering what a scoundrel he was sometimes. â€Å"Aw, I figured you had more important things to do than see me,† he told her. â€Å"Besides, I quit smoking, so now we won't be able to go sneak cigarettes out behind the throne room together.† â€Å"Adrian!† chastised Nathan, turning bright red. It occurred to me then that I could have based a drinking game around how many times he exclaimed his son's name disapprovingly. â€Å"Auntie, I'm sor–â€Å" Tatiana held up a hand again. â€Å"Oh, be silent, Nathan. No one wants to hear it.† I almost choked. Being in the same room with the queen was horrid, but it was almost worth it to see her verbally bitch-slap Lord Ivashkov. She turned back to Adrian, face thawing. â€Å"You've finally quit? It's about time. I suppose this is your doing?† It took me a moment to realize she was speaking to me. Until that point, I'd kind of hoped she might not have even noticed me. It seemed the only explanation for her not screaming at them to remove the rebellious little blood whore. It was shocking. Her voice wasn't accusatory, either. It was†¦ impressed. â€Å"W-well, it wasn't me, Your Majesty,† I said. My meekness was a far cry from my behavior at our last meeting. â€Å"Adrian was the one who had the, uh, determination to do it.† So help me, Tatiana chuckled. â€Å"Very diplomatic. They should assign you to a politician.† Nathan didn't like the attention on me. I wasn't sure I did either, semi-pleasant or not. â€Å"Are you and Priscilla doing business tonight? Or just having a friendly dinner?† Tatiana dragged her gaze from me. â€Å"Both. There's been some inter-family squabbling going on. Not publicly, but it's getting out. People are making noise about security. Some are ready to start training up right now. Others are wondering if guardians can go without sleep.† She rolled her eyes. â€Å"And those are the tamest of the suggestions.† No question about it. This visit had gotten a lot more interesting. â€Å"I hope you're going to shut those would-be militants up,† growled Nathan. â€Å"Us fighting alongside guardians is absurd.† â€Å"What's absurd,† said Tatiana, â€Å"is having strife among the royal classes. That's what I want to ‘shut up.'† Her tone grew lofty, very queenlike. â€Å"We're the leaders among the Moroi. We have to set an example. We need to be unified to survive.† I studied her curiously. What did that mean? She hadn't agreed or disagreed with Nathan's stance on Moroi fighting. She'd only mentioned establishing peace among her people. But how? Was her method to encourage the new motion or squash it? Security was a huge concern for everyone after the attack, and it fell on her to figure it out. â€Å"Sounds pretty hard to me,† said Adrian, playing oblivious to the seriousness of the matter. â€Å"If you still want a cigarette afterward, I'll make an exception.† â€Å"I'll settle for you coming to make a proper visit tomorrow,† she said dryly. â€Å"Leave the cigarettes at home.† She glanced at his empty wineglass. â€Å"And other things.† A flash of steely resolve crossed her gaze, and even though it melted as quickly as it had come, I felt almost relieved. There was the icy Tatiana I knew. He saluted. â€Å"Noted.† Tatiana gave the rest of us brief glances. â€Å"Have a good evening,† was her only farewell. We bowed again, and then she headed back toward the front door. As she did, I heard scuffling and murmured voices. She'd been traveling with a retinue, I realized, and had left them all in the foyer while she came to say hello to Adrian. Dinner was quiet after that. Tatiana's visit had kind of left us all astonished. At least it meant I didn't have to hear Adrian and his father bicker anymore. Daniella mostly maintained what little conversation there was, attempting to inquire about my interests, and I realized she hadn't said a word during Tatiana's brief visit. Daniella had married into the Ivashkovs, and I wondered if she found the queen intimidating. When the time came for us to leave, Daniella was all smiles while Nathan retired to his study. â€Å"You need to come by more often,† she told Adrian, smoothing his hair in spite of his protests. â€Å"And you're welcome anytime, Rose.† â€Å"Thank you,† I said, dumbfounded. I kept studying her face to see if she was lying, but I didn't think she was. It made no sense. Moroi didn't approve of long-term relationships with dhampirs. Royal Moroi especially didn't. And royal Moroi related to the queen especially didn't, at least if past experience was any indication. Adrian sighed. â€Å"Maybe if he's not around. Oh, damn. That reminds me. I left my coat here last time–I wanted to get out too fast.† â€Å"You've got, like, fifty coats,† I remarked. â€Å"Ask Torrie,† said Daniella. â€Å"She'll know where it is.† Adrian went off to find the housekeeper, leaving me with his mother. I should have made polite, inconsequential small talk, but my curiosity was getting the better of me. â€Å"Dinner was really great,† I told her honestly. â€Å"And I hope you won't take this the wrong way†¦ but I mean†¦ well, you seem okay with Adrian and me dating.† She nodded serenely. â€Å"I am.† â€Å"And†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Well, it had to be said. â€Å"Tat–Queen Tatiana kind of seemed okay with it too.† â€Å"She is.† I made sure my jaw didn't drop to the floor. â€Å"But†¦ I mean, the last time I talked to her, she was really mad. She kept telling me over and over how she'd never allow us to be together in the future or get married or anything like that.† I cringed, recalling Adrian's joke. â€Å"I figured you'd feel the same. Lord Ivashkov does. You can't really want your son to be with a dhampir forever.† Daniella's smile was kind but wry. â€Å"Do you plan on being with him forever? Do you plan on marrying him and settling down?† The question totally caught me off guard. â€Å"I†¦ no†¦ I mean, no offense to Adrian. I just never–â€Å" â€Å"Planned on settling down at all?† She nodded wisely. â€Å"That's what I thought. Believe me, I know Adrian wasn't serious earlier. Everyone's jumping to conclusions that haven't even happened. I've heard of you, Rose–everyone has. And I admire you. And based on what I've learned, I'm guessing you aren't the type who would quit being a guardian to be a housewife.† â€Å"You're right,† I admitted. â€Å"Then I don't see the problem. You're both young. You're entitled to have fun and do what you want now, but I–you and I–know that even if you see Adrian off and on for the rest of your life, you aren't going to get married or settle down. And it has nothing to do with what Nathan or anyone says. It's the way of the world. It's the kind of person you are. I can see it in your eyes. Tatiana's realized it too, and that's why she eased up. You need to be out there fighting, and that's what you'll do. At least if you truly intend to be a guardian.† â€Å"I do.† I was staring at her in wonder. Her attitude was amazing. She was the first royal I'd met who hadn't immediately freaked out and gone crazy over the idea of a Moroi and dhampir match. If other people shared her view, it would make a lot of others' lives easier. And she was right. It didn't matter what Nathan thought. It wouldn't have even mattered if Dimitri had been around. The bottom line was that Adrian and I wouldn't be together for the rest of our lives because I'd always be on guardian duty, not lounging around like he did. Realizing that freed things up†¦ yet it made me a little sad too. Behind her, I could see Adrian approaching down the hall. Daniella leaned forward, pitching her voice low for me. There was a wistful note to her words when she spoke, the tone of a concerned mother. â€Å"But Rose? While I'm fine with you two dating and being happy, please try not to break his heart too much when the time comes.†